Cruising and kayaking are must-dos in Halong bay, Vietnam. With ActiveTravel Asia program and our modern kayaking equipment,we are challenging you with real kayaking adventure with 2 days kayaking and up to 5-6 hours paddling each day. This true physical challenge is offer you unique chance to show up your speed and maneuverability while the kayaks lead us to access the open sea, hidden lagoons and limestone caves that are nearly unable to touch by any other means. You will expect to paddle among islets, visit hidden caves, lagoons, unspoiled beaches, floating fishing village and talk with local fishman.

Tour Highlights

Real challenging adventure in Halong bay with 2 full days kayaking up to 5-6 hours per day

Paddling to visit the most amazing caves in Halong including Sung Sot cave, Luon cave and Dark cave

You reach to the place that only kayak can enter - Ho Ba Ham, a special grotto with three inland lakes

Exploring Lan Ha bay by kayak - this is the small, amazing but hidden parts of Halong bay

Visiting the typical floating village in Halong - Van Chai and learn about how locals carry their lives in such special conditions.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi - transfer/kayaking Halong Bay

Day 2: Kayaking Halong Bay

Day 3: Kayaking into Lan Ha Bay

Day 4: Halong Bay - Hanoi

Day 1: Hanoi – drive to Halong Bay

At 08.00AM, ActiveTravel Asia’s adventure guide will welcome you at hotel then leave Hanoi for Halong bay. The drive takes us about 4 hours with a 15 minute stop en-rout. Our tour guide, a professional one on kayaking adventure will brief the program as well as the necessary introduction about kayaking technique. Different from other agents, our guide will get on-board to escort you the whole trip including kayaking segments to maximize your experiences.

We arrive in Halong cruise harbor at lunchtime then board on a wooden traditional style junk for a fine seafood lunch. Today, we leave the program at relaxing grade so that you can enjoy the pride of Vietnam and simple warming-up your body after long drive. We will take an easy hiking up to Sung Sot cave then we enjoy a beautiful cruise through an amazing area of limestone islets. End up this day with a visit to floating village before reaching Luon Cave, which makes a tunnel through a mountain. Dinner and overnight on cruise.

Day 2: Kayaking Halong Bay ~ 6hrs kayaking

Breakfast in the pure morning of the bay then we kick off our Halong kayaking tour. You are provided with professional sit-in kayaks, paddles, dry bags and life-vest jackets. To maximize your experience, there is a support boat along your whole kayaking trip.
Start up with the first paddling to Van Chai Floating village then keep sailing to Dark Cave. If tide permits, we will get further into this cave for a deeper discovery. The cave is a 200m long, dark tunnel thrusting through a limestone mountain. And the tunnel is the sole entry to a secluded and magnificent lagoon. We can also pop up into some other caves nearby. Lunch on support boat in front of the cave.
In afternoon, set the kayaks to Ba Trai Dao Lagoon, along a stunning and fairly rough sea channel, for its amazing beaches. Keep on sailing to Lan Ha Bay, which is smaller than Halong Bay but much more interesting with lots of lovely, hidden beaches. The supporting boat gets you back to the mother cruise. Sail back to Halong Bay for dinner and overnight.

Summary

Kayaking: 6 hrs at morderate

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Twin shared cabin

Day 3: Kayaking in Lan Ha bay, best part of Halong ~ 5-6hrs kayaking

Immerse yourself in a tranquility morning under magical sunlight. Take a full breakfast then transfer to support boat. This support boat follows you the entire time of the tour, that can take us deeply into remote, untouched areas. That is a highlighted feature distinguished our services outstanding from other operators and make your tour very much true adventure one.

The support boat drops your at the kayaking check point and today, we are going to take kayak to Lan Ha Bay, where we have to across a wide sea channel for Dau Be Island. Take a turn to western side of the island that is the location of Ho Ba Ham (Three Tunnel Lake), a deep grotto with three inland lakes. The grotto is inaccessible except in low tides and by kayak only. There are beautiful beaches around where we may stop for swimming. Optional paddling around the island before transfer back to mother boat for dinner and overnight.

Summary

Kayaking: 5 - 6 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Twin shared cabin

Day 4: cruising Halong Bay – drive back to Hanoi

Breakfast on the junk after enjoying Tai Chi in early morning on the sundeck while our cruise is navigating through amazing rock formations to get back Halong City.

Have your last lunch onboard then clear bill for check out. Our driver is await you at the dock, ready for a transfer back to Hanoi center. Services end upon your hotel arrival.

Summary

Cruising: 3 hrs

Transfer Halong Bay – Hanoi: 3.5 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Note on client safety

- We reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.

All tours are private. No joined-in, customized. No fixed dates. (except Amazing Thailand on Motorbike)You can customize to pick one or some most favorite sections.The price - if not customized - is fixed. No hidden cost, no surprised.We are full licensed operator and only work with similar legal status partners. It's adventurous, not riskyMany discounts available from May to Sep. Minimum surcharges on peak days (Xmas, New Year etc)Still questions?! Please contact usor email: info@activetravel.asia

KAYAKING GRADEModerate Grade that means this tour involve in active, physical-required activities can be up to 4 - 5 hours a day at a steady pace. The tour is going to involve a considerable amount of ascent or descent under different weather conditions. Support facilities may not be available on-site and there are some occasional difficult days. You will need a good level of fitness.

* Suggested preparation: 30 - 45 minutes of aerobic, physical exercise, 3-4 times per week for a few weeks leading up to your adventure are recommended.

Who suits: For outdoor novices and above.

Activity: 4-5 hours most days

Distances: Hike up to 8 miles (or 13km) most days, cycle 20-40 miles (or 32 – 68km) most days

Surfaces: rolling or mountainous terrain with some steep ascents/descents and uneven trails

Elevation change: up to 3,000 ft/day (about 900m)

Altitude: up to 8,000 ft (about 2500m)

MEALS AND FOOD
- Day 1: Lunch, Dinner
- Day 2,3: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Day 4: Breakfast, Lunch
All meals, which are indicated in the itinerary, are included in the price of this trip. Since we are in the sea our meals are mainly dominated by fresh seafood. Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirement.

THE OVERNIGHT CRUISEJunk to be used: V'Spirit cruise or similar. For more information please see our Quality Services.
The beautiful Chinese junk functions as a hotel and we would share it with other travelers. We will get twin shared cabin with AC and restroom.
The next day when we go kayaking a smaller wooden boat will support us the whole day.

OUR TOUR GUIDE
The tour will be guided by one of our tour guides who are experienced in guiding kayaking tours in Halong Bay. He has been carefully trained in this field and is fully licensed in tour guiding by the government. In addition, he has been trained in first-aid by SOS International and he knows how to deal with difficult situations. You will have a great time travelling with him.

THE KAYAKS AND EQUIPMENTFor Halong kayaking trip, we use mainly sit-in, hard-cell kayak mostly by WINNER manufacturer. However, due to the limit number of the single kayak, the double kayak can be used as alternative. Paddle and dry bag are available. Life-vests are supplied too and manufactured in Vietnam.

THE KAYAKING DAY
A typical kayaking day starts at about 8.00 am after breakfast. Lunch will be served on support boat. At the end of a kayaking day, we would return to the junk by 5 pm or 5.30 pm.

Note on client safetyWe reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.

Hi Tony,
We are back home again. Can't thank you enough. The trip was a great success! Everything was done to perfection. transportation, guides, facilities, activities all went off like clockwork. Thanks again for a job well done and a memorable vacation. I will recommend your company to everyone.

Rick Posnick and Party
(04 Americans - toured Vietnam from 7-12Nov06)

5.0

George Sanderson

United State of America

Kayaking in Halong Bay was great, much greater than we expected 5.0

Tony,
You organized such a fantastic holiday for us. Kayaking in Halong Bay was great, much greater than we expected. We will come back next year to do Sapa and we would love to have Lam as our guide again. Thanks again.

George Sanderson and friends.
(06 American – kayaked Halong Bay in Jun2005)

5.0

Chuck & Melisa Chimera

United State of America

This trip to HaLong bay is better than any trip in Hawaii 5.0

Kien Nguyen is an excellent guide. He is ver y friendly, knowledgeable,and hes a great sense of humor. he had many stories to share about Halong Bay, as well as the rest of Viet Nam. I would recommend Kien to any of my friends or family who travel to Vietnam. We are sad that we will be leaving Kien when we go to Sapa and we hope that our next guide is as good as Kien. Melissa & i come from Hawaii where there are also many tourist and tourist companies. This trip to HaLong bay is better than any trip in Hawaii. If we come back to Vietnam again, we will ask for Kien Nguyen, as we think he is the best.
As they say in the Hawaiian language "Kien no ka oi - Kien is the best "